Automobile-locking means



E. A. MATTHEWS.

AUTOMOBILE LOCKING MEANS..

APPLICATION man MAY 10. 1919.

1,369,901 Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

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hive/7mg I UNITED STATES EDWIN MATTHEWS, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

AUTOMOBILE-LOCKING MEANS.

Application filed May 10, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN A. lYlArrHnws, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Locking Means, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for looking an automobile so that it cannot be run without detection by unauthorized persons and yet permits of the car being moved in case of necessity, as in case of fire or other cause making it necessary for the car to be moved a short distance. In my invention as at present embodied, it is looked against forward movement, but can be moved backward in case of fire or other reason making it necessary to move the car from the place in which it was left standmg.

I have illustrated one practical embodiment of my invention on the accompanying sheet of drawings, which I will now describe.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional vlew through the axle casing, showing my invention applied to the rear axle of an automobile;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the looking means; and

Fig. 4 is a detail of the end of the lock bar.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, 1 designates a housing, which may be the rear axle housing or the housing of the main shaft, and 2 designates theaxle or shaft. Secured to said shaft or axle 2 is a ratchet wheel 3. Mounted in said housing 1 is a guide frame made up of a base plate 4, guide cleats or brackets 5, 6 and 7 and a connecting piece 8, screwed together as indicated. Slidably mounted in said frame is a lock bar 9, provided with teeth 10, forming a rack portion, and at one end reduced in size, as at 9 and sliding through the bracket 5, as indicated in Fig. 3. A spring 11 is mounted in the reduced portion of said lock bar and bears at one end against the larger portion of said lock bar, and at its other end against the bracket 5, thus acting to normally press said lock bar 9 toward the ratchet wheel 3. The end of said lock bar 9 is beveled, as at 9 Fig. 1, whereby said ratchet wheel 8 and the shaft Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Serial No. 297,112.

2 can be turned in one direction only when said lock bar 9 thrust forward to the ratchet wheel 3. Said lock bar 9 is also provided with a notch 9 adapted to be engaged with a plunger 12, mounted through the housing 1, in a sleeve 13, screwed into the housing 1, as indicated. Said plunger is spring pressed inwardly by means of a spring 14. At its outer end. said plunger 12 is provided with a knurled head 12' and with wing portions 12, 12, at opposite sides, adjacent the head, said wing portions being adapted to fit into corresponding notches 13 in the sleeve 13, as indicated, when the plunger is given a half turn. Thus by pulling the plunger out and giving it a half turn, it will be retained in its withdrawn position, as shown in Fig. 1. By turning it a half turn, it will then be moved inwardly by its spring and when the lock bar 9 is moved to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, it will be locked in its moved position by reason of the fact that its notch 9 receives the plunger 12.

As a means for moving the lock bar 9, I have provided an intermittent gear 15, mounted on a key controlled and operated shaft 16, one end of which is supported in the connecting piece 8, and the other end of which has its bearing through the base plate 4 and the housing 1, as indicated in Fig. 1. A key-actuated mechanism 17 is mounted on or connected with said shaft 16, and receives an operating key 18, whereby said intermittent gear can be turned for the purpose of moving said lock bar away from the ratchet wheel 3, when it is desired to run the car. When it is desired to lock the car the plunger 12, which has moved inwardly to hold the lock bar in unlocked position, is withdrawn and the lock bar 9 is released and thrust forwardly by its spring 11. It will be evident that when the lock bar 9 is locked to the ratchet wheel. 3, that the shaft 2 cannot be turned, for the reason that it is locked to the housing. It

is also evident that the ratchet wheel 3 can be turned backwardly relative to the lock bar 9, which permits of running the car backward. when the car is moved backward, that the escapement of the lock bar 9 on the ratchet wheel 3, will make much noise and indicate that something wrong, with the desired result if the car is being moved by some unauthorized person.

It will also be evident that I amraware that changes in the details of my invention as here shown and described can be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and I do not, therefore, limit the invention to these details, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claim.

I claim: v

In combination with a driving shaft of an automobile and the housing therefor, a ratchet Wheel mounted thereon Within said housing, alock bar mounted within the housing, parallel With said shaft and hav ing a beveled end adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the ratchet Wheel, a key actuatedintermittent gear in mesh with said lock bar and adapted to move the same longitudinally when said key-actuated gear is turned, a spring for EDIVIN A. MATTHEWS.

In presence of- GRANT TAYLOR, F RANK LANGE; 

